Department for Transport

*No heading*

baroness randerson: Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to proceed with plans for Crossrail 2; and if so, what is their timescale for future development.

lord callanan: As with all transport scheme proposals a thorough analysis is being carried out by the Department for Transport to ensure it is a robust scheme. This includes examining whether the National Infrastructure Commission’s detailed recommendations on the scheme have been met. The next steps and timescales for the project, including when the next stage of public consultation will take place, will therefore be decided as part of this analysis.

*No heading*

baroness kennedy of cradley: Her Majesty's Government how they are working with van and truckmanufacturers to improve vehicle safety.

lord callanan: The fact that the market for road vehicles is a global one has meant that safety standards are developed through international bodies, most notably the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The UK is actively engaged in such discussions at UNECE and, in advance of meetings and as a matter of routine, consults with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), who represent the UK industry.

*No heading*

lord steel of aikwood: Her Majesty's Government whether, before creating any new category of road vehicles of historic interest, they will engage in consultation with representatives of the estimated 250,000 users of such vehicles; and how many such vehicles they estimate to exist.

lord callanan: The Department for Transport ran a public consultation about possible changes related to the testing of vehicles of historic interest, with a preferred option to move from the current position of an exemption for pre-1960 vehicles to a rolling 40 year exemption for vehicles which have not been substantially modified. There were more than 2,200 responses, including many from users and owners of historic vehicles. These responses are currently being considered and we hope to announce a response to this consultation later this year. An initial impact assessment was prepared which assessed that there were about 192,000 pre-1960 registered vehicles which are currently exempt from the MOT requirement. The preferred option identified in the consultation exempted an estimated further 278,000 vehicles. A final validated impact assessment will be published along with the consultation response summary.

*No heading*

lord steel of aikwood: Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the decision by the government of Sweden to abolish testing for all road vehicles over 50 years old, what consideration they have given to applying a similar rule in the UK.

lord callanan: A consultation has been completed about exempting more vehicles of historic interest from testing, given an increased flexibility offered by changes in EU-wide standards, to which Sweden is also responding. The UK already exempts pre-1960 vehicles from testing and consideration is being given to changing that threshold, with a lead consultation option of exempting most vehicles more than 40 years old.

*No heading*

lord laird: Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce noise nuisance resulting from the use of motorbikes.

lord callanan: Technical standards for noise from new motorcycles are set at an International level by both the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). These provisions were updated in 2014 and took effect for new machines from 2016. The European Commission is planning to introduce new legislation concerning emissions and noise from motorcycles. An independent research-based investigation is currently underway to establish the noise limits and these are expected to take effect in 2020. The UK is actively engaged in these negotiations. The motorcycle industry are represented at the UNECE discussions and Department for Transport officials also hold routine discussions with them outside of this forum.

Home Office

*No heading*

lord wigley: Her Majesty's Government how many of the unaccompanied child refugees who have entered the UK under (1) section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016,and (2) the Dublin III Regulations, have been identified as having physical or learning disabilities.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office does not hold this information in the format requested. There are no restrictions on children with physical or learning disabilities being transferred to the UK under either section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 or the Dublin III Regulation. Those unaccompanied children who go into local authority care in the UK will receive accommodation and support for their individual needs in line with the Children Act 1989

*No heading*

lord ahmed: Her Majesty's Government whether an acid attack would be classified as a terrorist attack.

baroness williams of trafford: The government has a longstanding and comprehensive strategic approach to tackling all forms of terrorism. It is for the police to decide whether an incident is terrorist in nature and ultimately for the independent Crown Prosecution Service to decide what charges are appropriate based on the facts of the case. Section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2000 contains the definition of terrorism against which these decisions are made.

*No heading*

lord ouseley: Her Majesty's Government whether, in the light of staff shortages in the key areas of teaching and the NHS, they intend to remove public service jobs from the immigration cap.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government maintains a Shortage Occupation List, based on expert advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee. The list comprises skilled jobs, including public sector roles, where there is an identified national shortage. Jobs on the list are given priority when allocating places within the Tier 2 immigration limit.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Academies: Pay

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they last discussed with the government of Tunisia the security improvements required before the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's current advice against all but essential travel to Tunisia can be lifted.

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the average number of people who visited a hospital Accident and Emergency department in the UK on (1) a weekday, or (2) a Saturday or Sunday, in 2015.

lord nash: Academy trusts are responsible for setting their own remuneration for staff, and best placed to consider the factors relevant to their decisions on this. It is essential that we have the best people to lead our schools if we are to raise standards.We hold an analysis of multi-academy trusts that pay staff more than £150,000, but do not have a list of those between £140,000 and £150,000. The analysis does not identify the names of the individuals nor whether they are the chief executive. The latest available data, for the year ended 31 August 2015, is in the table below, which identifies 71 trusts (3%) paying over £150,000. We expect data for the year ended 31 August 2016 to be available by the end of July 2017.Information about remuneration is available in trusts’ financial statements published online by Companies House (available by searching “Companies House service”).Company No.Multi-academy trusts paying remuneration of more than £150,000 to an employee: year ended 31 August 20156625091ACADEMIES ENTERPRISE TRUST7846852ACADEMY TRANSFORMATION TRUST7977940AMBITIONS ACADEMIES TRUST5112090ARK SCHOOLS7867577ASPIRATIONS ACADEMIES TRUST4389132BARNET CITY ACADEMY7768726BOURNE EDUCATION TRUST7540236BRAMPTON MANOR TRUST7695771BRIGHT FUTURES EDUCATIONAL TRUST7808732CARMEL EDUCATION TRUST7827368CENTRAL LEARNING PARTNERSHIP TRUST8179498CHINGFORD ACADEMIES TRUST4504128CITY OF LONDON ACADEMIES TRUST7617529CREATIVE EDUCATION TRUST2303464DIXONS ACADEMIES CHARITABLE TRUST LTD6526376E-ACT5853746GATEWAY LEARNING COMMUNITY7551959GLF SCHOOLS7687897GRAVENEY TRUST6864339GREENWOOD ACADEMIES TRUST7416734GURU NANAK SIKH ACADEMY LIMITED2535091HABERDASHERS' ASKE'S FEDERATION TRUST6228587HARRIS FEDERATION7949111HATTON ACADEMIES TRUST8269066HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST8179349INSPIRATION TRUST8657945INSPIRATIONAL LEARNING ACADEMIES TRUST7398467IVYBRIDGE ACADEMY TRUST8296921L.E.A.D. MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST2387916LANDAU FORTE CHARITABLE TRUST7361021LEARNER ENGAGEMENT AND ACHIEVEMENT PARTNERSHIP MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST8066610LEGRA ACADEMY TRUST8743560LOXFORD SCHOOL TRUST LIMITED7548754MAIDEN ERLEGH TRUST7348167NINESTILES ACADEMY TRUST LIMITED5067702NORTHERN SCHOOLS TRUST5398529OASIS COMMUNITY LEARNING6982127ORMISTON ACADEMIES TRUST6995649OUTWOOD GRANGE ACADEMIES TRUST8469218PARADIGM TRUST8339345PARTNERSHIP LEARNING7749786PERRY BEECHES THE ACADEMY TRUST7493622QED ACADEMY TRUST7386086SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP TRUST ACADEMIES7344732SWALE ACADEMIES TRUST7730920THE ARTHUR TERRY LEARNING PARTNERSHIP8158309THE BOSTON WITHAM ACADEMIES FEDERATION2400784THE BROOKE WESTON TRUST8148675THE CARDINAL HUME ACADEMIES TRUST6182612THE DAVID ROSS EDUCATION TRUST8027943THE DEAN TRUST8039629THE DOVER FEDERATION FOR THE ARTS7848783THE EDUCATION FELLOWSHIP TRUST7827747THE EVOLVE TRUST7465701THE GORSE ACADEMIES TRUST7614421THE HEATH FAMILY (NORTH WEST)7597068THE HOWARD PARTNERSHIP TRUST5735093THE LAIDLAW SCHOOLS TRUST5358533THE LANGLEY ACADEMY TRUST6462935THE PRIORY FEDERATION OF ACADEMIES7990619THE RODILLIAN MULTI ACADEMY TRUST8107310THE SILVER BIRCH ACADEMY7359755THE THINKING SCHOOLS ACADEMY TRUST7569727THE WILLIAMSON TRUST8085503TOLLBAR MULTI ACADEMY TRUST7635510TORCH ACADEMY GATEWAY TRUST7559256VALLEY INVICTA ACADEMIES TRUST7462885WAKEFIELD CITY ACADEMIES TRUST8531479WASHWOOD HEATH MULTI ACADEMY TRUST8833508WICKERSLEY PARTNERSHIP TRUST6415729WOODARD ACADEMIES TRUST

*No heading*

the lord bishop of st albans: Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the adjournment of Asia Bibi's appeal, what representations, if any, they have made on her behalf to the government of Pakistan regarding reports that (1) there is a lack of information about when her appeal will be heard, and (2) that she is still being kept in solitary confinement.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We remain concerned about Ms Bibi, following the postponement of her Supreme Court appeal hearing in October 2016. The British High Commission in Islamabad continues to monitor developments in her case closely. Moreover, we also regularly raise the need to uphold the protection plus rights of religious minorities and misuse of the blasphemy laws with the Pakistani Government, and continue to urge Pakistan to adhere to its international obligations and uphold the rule of law.The Foreign Secretary raised religious tolerance and misuse of the blasphemy laws during his visit to Pakistan in November 2016. The then Minister for Asia and the Pacific (Mr Sharma) discussed Pakistan's blasphemy laws with Kamran Michael, Pakistani Minister for Human Rights, and Barrister Zafarullah Khan, the Prime Minister's Special Assistant for Human Rights, during his visit to Pakistan in January 2017.The UK supported the EU statement, following the decision of the Lahore High Court, to uphold Ms Bibi's conviction. We continue to work with our international partners to ensure our views are made clear to the Pakistani authorities.

*No heading*

baroness tonge: Her Majesty's Government, following the High Court decision that pursuing boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel is legal, what assessment they have made of this as non-violent means to end the conflict in Israel and Palestine.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government's position on boycotts is clear. While we do not hesitate to express disagreement with Israel whenever necessary, we are strongly opposed to boycotts. We believe that open and honest discussions, rather than imposing sanctions or supporting anti-Israeli boycotts, best supports our efforts to help the peace process and achieve a negotiated solution. The Government has received permission to appeal the judgement on the judicial review of the guidance to administering authorities on preparing an investment strategy statement for Local Government Pension Scheme funds.

*No heading*

lord mcinnes of kilwinning: Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Turkey following the cancellation of the Istanbul Pride March by the Istanbul authorities.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We regularly encourage Turkey to work towards the full protection of fundamental rights, including in the areas of freedom of expression and assembly. Our Embassy in Ankara and Istanbul Consulate were proud to fly the rainbow flag during Turkish Pride Week as a symbol of our support.

*No heading*

lord mcinnes of kilwinning: Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of LGBTi rights in Turkey.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We take a strong interest in the situation of minority groups in Turkey, including the LGBTI community, and encourage the Turkish authorities to safeguard their welfare and to maintain non-discrimination. We work closely with Turkish civil society organisations active in this area.

*No heading*

lord alton of liverpool: Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Turkey about the transfer of 50 Syrian Christian churches, monasteries and cemeteries in Mardin province to the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs; and when they last discussed that government's obligations under Article 18 of the 1948 Universal declaration of Human Rights which sets out the obligations of states to protect freedom of religion and belief.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​Legal changes to local government structures in Mardin, where many important Assyrian religious sites are found, resulted in 2012 in the transfer of the title deeds to some religious sites from local bodies to central government. They were eventually transferred to the Government's Directorate for Religious Affairs. Assyrian organisations are making legal appeals against these decisions. The British Embassy in Ankara regularly raises human rights issues with the Turkish authorities and will be closely following this legal process. We strongly support religious freedom in Turkey and have supported civil society organisations working in this area.

*No heading*

lord judd: Her Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking, if any, to strengthen the role of the Global Britain Fund.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) uses a small proportion of its departmental budget to fund project-based activity globally in support of the policy priorities identified in the National Security Strategy and the Government's Aid Strategy: The Global Britain Fund is the internal working title used to bring previously separate strategic and bilateral programme funds under one umbrella to enable greater central oversight and strategic direction of all this spend and activity, and to reduce bureaucracy. This small-scale funding is a mix of Official Development Assistance (ODA) and non-ODA, so that it can be spent around the world to promote British interests. The FCO's separate Global Britain Campaign aims to increase understanding, recognition and support, internationally and at home, for the UK's work and role in the world.

*No heading*

lord eames: Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the role of the SyrianCivil Defence group, commonly referred to as The White Helmets, in the Syrianconflict.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Syria Civil Defence (SCD), also known as the White Helmets, play an invaluable role in rescuing people from the devastation caused by Syrian regime and Russian air strikes. Over 3100 volunteer women and men, deliver community-based services to approximately seven million Syrian civilians living in opposition-controlled areas. To date they have saved over 95,000 lives and conducted extensive mine risk awareness campaigns to help civilians protect themselves from unexploded ordnance. Additionally, SCD provides other important services, including fire fighting, light infrastructure repair and first responder medical care. So far 91 SCD volunteers have been killed and hundreds more injured while carrying out their work. The White Helmets’ have attracted positive international recognition, which is the key reason why the Syrian regime and Russia are trying to discredit them through a concerted disinformation campaign.

Department for International Development

*No heading*

lord foulkes of cumnock: Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated cost of maintaining the RMS St Helena since May 2016.

lord bates: St Helena Line, the company who operate the RMS St Helena, has confirmed the estimated cost of maintaining the RMS St Helena since May 2016 is £916,000.

Department for Education

*No heading*

lord stoddart of swindon: Her Majesty's Government whether schools or local authorities have the legal power to fine parents of children who are late for school and if so, whether there is the right of appeal through the courts.

lord nash: Schools and local authorities have had the power to issue penalty notices since 2004.Every local authority must draw up a Code of Conduct for issuing penalty notices, in consultation with governing bodies and head teachers in their area. The Code will set out the occasions when it will be appropriate to issue a penalty notice. This can for example include circumstances where a pupil is persistently late to school without a valid reason. A penalty notice must be issued in accordance with that Code.There is no formal appeals process where a parent is issued with a penalty notice and they deem this to be incorrect; however, parents can discuss their situation with the local authority and ask for the penalty notice to be withdrawn. If the penalty notice has not been paid in full by end of the 28 day period allowed for payment and if the local authority has not commenced prosecution of the parent and is not contemplating doing so, it must withdraw the penalty notice.

*No heading*

lord storey: Her Majesty's Government how many children and young people have undertaken home tuition in each of the last three years.

lord storey: Her Majesty's Government how many children and young people have undertaken home tuition in each of the last three years.

lord storey: Her Majesty's Government what are the legal requirementsrelating tohome tuition; and what measures are in place to support parents who choose to have their children taught at home.

lord storey: Her Majesty's Government what are the legal requirementsrelating tohome tuition; and what measures are in place to support parents who choose to have their children taught at home.

lord nash: Data on the number of children being educated at home are not collected centrally.Parents have a legal duty under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 to ensure that a child of compulsory school age receives an efficient and full-time education suitable to its age, ability and aptitude, and any special education needs - either by regular attendance at school or otherwise. ‘Otherwise’ includes education at home. There are no other specific requirements relating to the content of such education, unless a child has a statement of special educational needs or an Education and Health Care Plan, which can specify that the child is being educated at home. If it does, the local authority is under a duty to ensure the provision specified is made.Parents choosing to educate at home take on the responsibilities involved, including financial responsibility. There is no entitlement to support. Some local authorities offer guidance, and there are other organisations which offer guidance or provide part-time education in specific subjects to supplement home education.

*No heading*

lord hylton: Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the cost to local authorities of assessing home-educated children.

lord nash: No estimate is possible as no data are collected on this expenditure from local authorities, and there are no reliable data on overall numbers of children educated at home. Furthermore, local authorities need to take different approaches to assessment of the suitability of home education depending on the circumstances of each child known to them.

Ministry of Justice

*No heading*

lord laird: Her Majesty's Government, how much legal aid was paid to England based solicitors of John Downey, who was accused of killing four soldiers in the 1982 IRA bombing in Hyde Park; over what period; and who were the solicitors and barristers instructed on his behalf.

lord keen of elie: Anyone facing a Crown Court trial is eligible for legal aid, subject to a strict means test. The table below shows the legal aid paid to represent John Downey for representation at the police station and in court between May 2013-December 2014:Criminal Legal representation atProvider TypeProvider Name TotalPolice stationSolicitorBirnberg Peirce LTD £293.40Crown court trial costs £18,412.07BarristerHenry Blaxland QC £20,089.00Mark J Summers £12,966.79Total costs £51,761.26

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

School Milk

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to work to establish a Digital Powerhouse Contract Portal, as recommended in the recent report The Digital Powerhouse: The innovation potential of tech clusters in the North, and to add central government contracts to that portal once established.

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether UK cluster bombs have been sold to the government of Saudi Arabia; and if so, when.

lord nash: We do not hold information centrally on how many children drink milk in schools. The government has no plans to extend eligibility for free school milk to all children in reception classes.

Department for Work and Pensions

*No heading*

baroness thomas of winchester: Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the criteria for assessing Personal Independence Payments to take into account claimants with mental health issues.

baroness buscombe: The Personal Independence Payments (PIP) assessment criteria have been designed to take account of the impact of all impairments on individuals’ ability including those with mental health issues. The inclusion of such activities as 'Making budgeting decisions' and 'Engaging with other people face-to-face' ensures that consideration is given to the impact of such impairments on people's daily living needs. Furthermore, by assessing claimants' ability to plan and follow journeys, the Mobility component also reflects the impact of impairment on an individual's ability to get around, and ensures the assessment takes account of mental, intellectual and cognitive impairments. We believe the current PIP assessment criteria are the best way of identifying those whose mental health is most limited and have no plans to change these.

*No heading*

lord vinson: Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the statement in the Green Paper on work and health and disability, Improving Lives, published in October 2016, what consideration they have given to allowing the voluntary incorporation of a portion of a severely disabled employee’s Employment and Support Allowance to be offset as part of their pay, in order to help enhance their employability.

baroness buscombe: Improving Lives – the Work, Health and Disability Green Paper, published In October 2016, attracted over 6000 responses, including many on how to enhance the employability of ESA recipients. We are currently considering future policy options in this area. Existing measures to reduce potential costs to employers, and so improve employability, include Access to Work which offers practical advice and funding of up to £42,100 pa for employees’ support costs over and above reasonable adjustments. Our new ‘Small Employer Offer’ for small and medium-sized enterprises is trialling a £500 payment to employers for mentoring and supporting disabled people employed for over 3 months.

*No heading*

baroness lister of burtersett: Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Henley on 9 February (HL5288), what progress they have made with the pilotscheme which aims to assist asylum applicants who have been granted leave to remain in the UK to make contact with the Department for Work and Pensions at the earliest opportunity; and whether they will publish the evaluation of that pilot.

baroness buscombe: The pilot was extended until the end of March 2017 and is currently being reviewed. We will be writing to key stakeholders with an update shortly.

Ministry of Defence

*No heading*

lord hylton: Her Majesty's Government what evidence they have that the Saudi Arabian air force is adequately trained in the accurate use of weapons such as the Paveway bomb supplied by the UK, so as to prevent civilian deaths in Yemen and elsewhere.

earl howe: The UK has considerable insight into the systems and procedures used by the Royal Saudi Air Force in Yemen, notwithstanding that the UK is not a member of the Coalition or a party to the conflict.

*No heading*

marquess of lothian: Her Majesty's Government, further to the Defence Secretary’s remarksonthe Today Programme on 27June that the UK will support US military action, provided it is legal, justified and proportionate, what is their definition of “proportionate” US military action in the event of the future use of chemical weapons by the government of Syria.

earl howe: The legal basis for any action the US might take is for their authorities to consider, and the UK position would be based on the facts of the case at the time. Nonetheless, the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons against its own population should not be tolerated.

*No heading*

marquess of lothian: Her Majesty's Government whetherthey remain committed to the purchase of 138 F-35B jump–jets for the Royal Navy.

earl howe: As part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2015, we reaffirmed our commitment to procure 138 F-35 Lightning II aircraft. The first tranche of 48 aircraft will be of the F-35B variant, which will be jointly operated by the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, and capable of operating from both land and the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers. The decision on the variant of subsequent tranches of Lightning will be taken at the appropriate time.

Department for Communities and Local Government

*No heading*

baroness tonge: Her Majesty's Government, whether following the High Court ruling that pursuing boycott, divestment and sanctionsagainst Israel is legal, they will change their guidance governing investment by local government pension schemes.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government is strongly opposed to boycotts, which undermine its work to support the peace process and achieve a negotiated solution. We have received permission to appeal the judgement on the guidance to administering authorities on preparing an investment strategy statement for Local Government Pension Scheme funds, and will submit an appeal shortly. Pending the outcome of the appeal we will amend the guidance.

*No heading*

lord bradley: Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of homeless people in each of the ten districts of Greater Manchester.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: DCLG publishes regular statistics on rough sleeping, statutory homelessness and homelessness prevention and relief in England. The autumn 2016 number of rough sleepers counted and estimated in a single night snapshot in England was 4,134. In England, 59,090 households were accepted as statutorily homeless and in priority need in 2016/17. 77,240 households were in temporary accommodation at the end of March 2017 in England. There were 214,476 successful cases of homelessness prevention or relief outside the statutory homelessness framework in 2016/17 in England.These are also published at a local authority level, including the ten Greater Manchester authorities. The latest statistics can be found (attached) at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/homelessness-statisticsThe Government will be implementing manifesto commitments to help those at risk of becoming homeless, already sleeping rough or with complex needs, to support them to lead more independent lives.  



Statutory homelessness and prevention 
(PDF Document, 4.38 MB)

HM Treasury

*No heading*

baroness mcgregor-smith: Her Majesty's Government whether the pay cap for civil service employees will be lifted; and if so, when this will happen.

lord young of cookham: I refer to exchanges in the other place made by the Chancellor regarding the public sector pay cap during the debate on the Queen’s speech on 29th June (HC Deb, 29 June 2017, vol. 626, cols 788-789). During those exchanges, the Chancellor stated that the Government’s public sector pay policy remains unchanged. The pay policy has always been designed to strike the right balance between being fair to our public servants and being fair to those who pay for them. That approach has not changed and we continually assess that balance.

Cabinet Office

*No heading*

lord hennessy of nympsfield: Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the commitment in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 to review how the Joint Intelligence Committee supports the National Security Council and the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms during crises, whether they intend to publish that review, particularly in relation to the provision of strategic intelligence assessments; and if not, whether they will place a summary of that review in the Library of the House.

lord young of cookham: The Review of National Security Assessment was completed in February 2017. The Joint Intelligence Organisation (JIO) is leading the implementation of the Review’s recommendations. We are not intending to publish the Review or a summary. However, the full Review will be passed to the Intelligence and Security Committee once it has been formed, in line with their role of Parliamentary oversight for the JIO. The ISC will be given regular updates by the JIO on the progress to implement the Review’s recommendations.

*No heading*

lord truscott: Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to review (1) the National Cyber Security Strategy, and (2) the role and powers of the National Cyber Security Centre.

lord young of cookham: The Government launched its five year National Cyber Security Strategy in 2016 to ensure that the UK has the right capability and capacity to defend our people, businesses, and assets; deter our adversaries; and develop the skills and capabilities we need across the public and private sectors.A significant early milestone to support delivery of the Strategy was the formation of the National Cyber Security Centre. Implementation of the Strategy including the role and powers of the National Cyber Security Centre are subject to continual review to ensure that we are responding at the scale and pace required to meet the challenges we face.

*No heading*

lord knight of weymouth: Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations in the WebRoots Democracy report, Inclusive Voting: Improving access to elections with digital democracy, published on 5 June; and, inparticular,what assessment they have made of (1) the call for pilots of an online voting option in elections, and (2)the conclusion that it ishighlyquestionable whethervoters with vision impairments and other disabilities have access to the right to cast a secret and independent vote.

lord young of cookham: The Government notes the recommendations in WebRoots Democracy report. The Government is committed to building a modern democracy that works for everyone.All voters have the right to vote independently and in secret. To assist blind and visually impaired voters, Returning Officers must ensure each polling station is equipped with a tactile voting device which fixes over the ballot paper and allows the voter to mark the ballot paper independently, and in secret, after a member of polling station staff has read out the list of candidates on the ballot paper to them. An enlarged version of the ballot paper is also displayed in each polling station and a large handheld copy provided on request to assist visually impaired voters. Disabled electors may also take a companion into the polling station with them for assistance, or make use of postal voting or appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf, in the same manner as other electors.The introduction of electronic voting (‘e-Voting’) would raise a number of issues which would need to be considered carefully. The selection of elected representatives for Parliament is regarded as requiring the highest possible level of integrity and, at present, there are concerns that e-Voting, by any means, is not seen by many to be suitably rigorous and secure, and could be vulnerable to attack or fraud. To provide a system over which there are doubts held by part of the electorate would not be appropriate.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

*No heading*

baroness kennedy of cradley: Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost to farmers and growers of the reduction in the bee population in the UK.

lord gardiner of kimble: Bees and other pollinators play an essential role in our £100 billion food industry. In 2014, Defra published an independent review of the evidence on the status and value of pollinators. The review estimated that the total value of all pollinators through the value of insect-pollinated crops in the UK was approximately £600 million per year. The review also identified an overall decline in wild bee diversity over the last 50 years but concluded that we cannot say with confidence whether this impacts generally on the yield or quality of UK crops. We are taking action to understand better and manage any risks associated with changes in pollinator populations. In collaboration with research institutes and volunteer organisations, we have established a pollinator monitoring and research partnership to gather further data and improve our understanding of the status of pollinators and pollination services in the UK. We have also introduced a Pollinator and Wildlife Package to our Countryside Stewardship Scheme in England and are working with farmers, business and conservation organisations to provide pollinator habitat on farmland, in urban areas and in gardens in order to boost pollinator populations.

Department of Health

Home Education

lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the life-time cost of providing medication and care for an individual diagnosed with HIV at the age of 35.

lord storey: Her Majesty's Government what are the legal requirementsrelating tohome tuition; and what measures are in place to support parents who choose to have their children taught at home.

lord storey: Her Majesty's Government how many children and young people have undertaken home tuition in each of the last three years.

lord storey: Her Majesty's Government what are the legal requirementsrelating tohome tuition; and what measures are in place to support parents who choose to have their children taught at home.

lord nash: Data on the number of children being educated at home are not collected centrally.Parents have a legal duty under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 to ensure that a child of compulsory school age receives an efficient and full-time education suitable to its age, ability and aptitude, and any special education needs - either by regular attendance at school or otherwise. ‘Otherwise’ includes education at home. There are no other specific requirements relating to the content of such education, unless a child has a statement of special educational needs or an Education and Health Care Plan, which can specify that the child is being educated at home. If it does, the local authority is under a duty to ensure the provision specified is made.Parents choosing to educate at home take on the responsibilities involved, including financial responsibility. There is no entitlement to support. Some local authorities offer guidance, and there are other organisations which offer guidance or provide part-time education in specific subjects to supplement home education.

*No heading*

lord wigley: Her Majesty's Government what is their latest estimate of the number of nursing posts vacant within the NHS in England.

lord o'shaughnessy: The information is not available in the format requested. Health Education England (HEE) provide estimates of staff shortages in National Health Service trusts as part of their Workforce Plan for England publication. Staff shortages as defined by HEE may be filled by nurses working in agency, bank or overtime, however no estimate of the extent to which this occurs is available. HEE plan to publish the Workforce Plan for England 2017/18 in due course.

*No heading*

lord wigley: Her Majesty's Government what discussions, if any, they have held with representatives of NHS doctors regarding the potential impact of the increasing cost of medical indemnity.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Department is aware of pressures for doctors regarding the potential impact of the increasing cost of medical indemnity. General practitioners (GPs) are the National Health Service doctors who are most directly affected by the rising cost of medical indemnity. Doctors working in hospitals are not directly exposed to rising costs as their employers purchase indemnity to cover their activities. The Department has been in frequent dialogue with GP representative bodies on the subject of rising cost of indemnity, and this has been a subject of interest for some time. The Department has a series of regular scheduled meetings with GP representatives, and indemnity is frequently discussed at these meetings. In addition, it is not uncommon for discussions to take place outside of these scheduled meetings where either party has a reason to have a more specific conversation about indemnity costs. Indemnity for clinical negligence claims brought against NHS employed GPs, doctors and all NHS staff in England is provided by the employer organisation. All NHS providers of care are members of NHS Resolution’s Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts and claims for compensation will ordinarily be brought against the NHS care provider organisation. The Government has publically committed to ensuring that NHS Resolution has appropriate funding to cover changes to hospitals’ clinical negligence costs.

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lord wigley: Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the current provision of wheelchairs for disabled people; the adequacy of funding for such provision; and whether they will investigate reports at the recent British Medical Association Annual Conference that disabled people are resorting to crowd-funding to pay for wheelchairs.

lord o'shaughnessy: In England, local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning wheelchair services for their local populations and funding for these services is determined locally. NHS England’s wheelchair operational data collection is designed to enable the gathering and dissemination of data that can be used for benchmarking and improving the commissioning of wheelchair services and outcomes for wheelchair users. The data collection, which has been undertaken since July 2015, is available as an online only resource. NHS England is setting targets for CCGs for improvements in wheelchair provision. In the planning guidance issued to the National Health Service in September 2016, CCGs have been asked to describe how they will halve the number of children waiting 18 weeks or more by Q4 2017/18 and eliminate 18 week waits for wheelchairs by the end of 2018/19. As part of comprehensive plans for the expansion of personal budgets, a specific personal health budget for wheelchair users has been developed. The personal wheelchair budget model introduces potential for using wider-system resources to support individuals’ whole needs. For example, individuals can use a personal wheelchair budget to provide for a higher specification wheelchair to maximise their independence.